dj catdance
In just about 323 days or so, the absolute most enjoyable place on the planet will be the People’s Republic of China, specifically Beijing. That is, if you like to watch supremely gifted athletes from all over the world compete and fail in sporting events they’ve been training for half—if not most—of their lives.
The upside of this failure, though, is these athletes—some of the best physical male and female specimens of the human race—can console themselves in the Olympic Village with once-in-a-lifetime ultimate hook-ups, and show their support and approval of an olympiadic international event. Not a bad way to celebrate after coming in twelfth place.
What does this have to do with dj catdance, you ask? Well, first, she’s from China, Shenzhen to be exact, and second, she organizes fledgling but massive beach parties. So, even though Shenzhen is thousands of miles away from Beijing, or hundreds of miles away from Beijing, or even tens of miles from Beijing (you know how us Americans don’t know our geography), there are now two reasons to go to China next year: beautiful, but underachieving athletes, and electronica beach parties.
But I’ll let dj catdance tell you a little more about that, and why electronica music drives her crazy—in a good way.
ML: One of the most interesting things about DJs is the unique names you choose. It might be an obvious question, but why do you go by dj catdance?
dj catdance: Hm…Cat is my nickname ‘cause [my friends] say I look like a cat. I love this nickname, including some [of] my friends, and I love dancing, so that’s why go by dj catdance.
ML: Your bio on your website says you're "crazy in love with electronic music." Explain that a little bit. What is it about electronica that makes you crazy?
dj catdance: As I said, I like [to] dance. [The] first time I get in touch with so many different elements [of] electronic music, things [were] so interesting to me, I totally fall into this music world. I just feel what I feel and do what I’m doing with [electronica]. It’s fun.
ML: It goes without saying that you're quite talented—you've studied art in Beijing and Singapore, you have some business experience in Shanghai, but you also do a bit of modeling. You could just keep doing those three things forever if you wanted, but in 2005 you got into turntablism and DJing. Why did you feel the need to get behind the turntables?
dj catdance: Because I love music and I love dance…and basically, [the] very important thing is I love [to] play. [Sometimes] when you go to clubbing, there’s music [that] can not satisfy you, and you find out you can do it also. And of course, you can do your own music style. People like that, so I think maybe I need to spin more and share more favorite music with the crowd. It is very happy things to me.
ML: I've never been to China, and truthfully, I haven't heard much about the club scene there or in Hong Kong. Tell me a little bit about dance and house music in China. Is it influenced more so by Asia, Europe or America?
dj catdance: [The]club scene in Hong Kong is not good at this moment; every club in Hong Kong [plays] hip-hop that you can see [in] America. But [we] still have some dance party every month in Hong Kong. European influenced music [and] style [is] always here…
House music is popular in China, [so is] hip hop, and many places in China hard dance music is very popular also.
ML: Let's talk more specifically about your music. Every DJ has his or her own style. What makes your music you? How can I tell a dj catdance set from someone else's?
dj catdance: My music style is electro house, and I like [to] mix with some tasty breaks and rock element tracks. But I don’t know how tell to another one about my music style. Maybe you can just listen once.
ML: I know you're still modeling, but how often do you get the chance to do a set?
dj catdance: Three or four times a month.
ML: So, what's up next for you? Where can we catch the next dj catdance set?
dj catdance: I [had] a gig on the 13th and 14th of July on Xiamen, and I [organized] a beach party with my group at Dameisha Beach in Shenzhen at the end [of] July. Also, I [spun] on the beach that night.
I’m trying to do some more events with my group at Shenzhen right now, to promote dance music [and] keep [it] going on, especially outdoor parties. Here [are] not that much fun outdoor parties. I hope I and my partners could do some things with that, let the people feel full of fun….
ML: So when and where is the next beach party? How many people usually come out, and how many DJs do you usually have?
dj catdance: [The] last one [was] in Dameisha Beach in Shenzhen [and] more than 1,000 people come. We [had] six DJs spinning, and that [was] our first outdoor beach party. Another summer beach music festival will [be] coming up in [the] middle of October. I hope that we start at 4 p.m. and finish at 6 a.m. We have four local bands, and [we] have six or seven DJs [who] come [from] everywhere to China to spin. Of course, I will spin also...all night long, electronic music. [The] DJ line up will [be] coming soon...
Some websites to check out for dj catdance:
